Give Yourself an Edge with Spanish Language Courses

I graduated from college six months ago and am still having a lot of trouble finding a job in my field. I've accepted a part-time position in retail just to be able to make my student loan payments, but that's obviously not going to be a long-term situation for me. I need to start earning serious money soon. In order to do so, I have to come up with a way to separate myself from the rest of the candidates applying for the same jobs. I think taking Spanish language courses could give me the edge I'm looking for.

My degree is in Human Resources Management, and a lot of the jobs I'm interested in have mentioned that being bilingual is a plus. This is because many companies feature a diverse workforce made up of people who might not speak English. So if I can take some Spanish language courses and add that skill to my resume, I'll make myself a much more attractive prospect to employers.

Fortunately, I can choose from several different options. First, I can sign up for Spanish language courses online. This is a subject that every community college or four-year-university offers, so I'm sure I won't have any trouble finding something that is both convenient and affordable. After a couple semesters of these online Spanish language courses, I'll be able to start submitting my resume again.

Another way to acquire this skill is by using software. There are a number of Spanish language courses available as CDs or computer programs, and they could be worth checking out. Each program takes a unique approach to teaching, so it would be smart to read some software reviews first to get a better idea of which one is right for me. The best thing about studying via CDs is that I can move at my own pace and don't have to follow a class schedule. If I applied myself, I could probably learn twice as fast on my own as I would in a formal classroom. Then again, I wouldn't have a teacher to answer my questions, so this might not be a good idea for a beginner.

A third option is to take Spanish language courses in Spain. This would be ideal, as I would not only get formal instruction, but also would be totally immersed in the culture. I would get loads of practice even outside the classroom, and would be able to spend significant time in Barcelona, Seville, Madrid, Valencia, or other top locations in Spain. This is a pricier route for sure, but the experience can't be beat!

Even though I haven't yet decided which Spanish language courses I will take, I'm going to make up my mind soon and begin studying in a couple of months. I wish I had understood the importance of foreign languages back when I was in college so I could have taken the appropriate classes then, but I guess it's better late than never!

Affordable South African Safaris

If you ask me, vacations aren't meant to be spent indoors. I can't imagine shelling out thousands of dollars and traveling thousands of miles to a far-flung destination only to spend the next week shuffling through museums and art galleries. Sure, I can see why that sort of thing would appeal to some folks, but that has never been my style. I prefer doing something more exciting, something that will yield lots of great stories, a few cool pictures, and a treasured memory. That's part of the reason I'm checking into South African safaris for my next adventure.

South African safaris are becoming increasingly popular year by year. There's just something so uniquely thrilling about being able to see big game in their natural habitat rather than behind bars at a local zoo. Plus, the lush, expansive scenery can't be beat, and a safari is likely to be one of the most exotic vacations I'll ever take in my entire life. So obviously, I want to do this right, which means lots of research about South African safaris before actually booking one.

From what I've learned thus far, it seems that custom South African safaris are what most travelers are looking for. This allows you to decide exactly what to see and what to do on your trip. For example, an open vehicle safari in Kruger Park would of course be on the agenda, as that's a must for anyone headed to the area. But I would also want to visit places like Cape Town, Okavango Delta, and Victoria Falls as well, so I'd have to book a package that could be tailored to my specifications. Furthermore, I would definitely want to have a knowledgeable guide who could give me tips, advice, and general info about how to make the most of my journey.

In order to ensure I get the best possible trip on my budget, I'm currently reading independent reviews from past travelers who have been on South African safaris. These reviews rate the different tour companies, and talk about the details of the journey, which gives me a better idea of what I'll be getting into. Moreover, the reviews tell which South African safaris are best for individuals, and which are more suited to groups and families. Plus, there are a wide range of reviews that cover all packages from budget to luxury, so I can better decide if I should upgrade or not.

I'm closer than ever to booking my dream safari to Africa, where I'll be able to see the "big five" game -- lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards, and buffalo -- in all their natural glory. All that's left to do is narrow down the list of affordable South African safaris that I've compiled, check out the tour companies in more detail, and make my reservation. Wow, I can't believe that I'm finally doing this!

The secrets of elegant and cheap soup recipes revealed!

Throughout history, soups have been appearing at the table in myriad forms, as a satisfying and nourishing repast for millions of people. While you may regard soup as a stop-gap, on-the-run meal, insufficient as a real meal, there are many people who would be grateful to enjoy a bowl of soup each day. We need to lift the humble bowl of soup into its proper place. Rather than thinking of soup recipes as some second best type of meal, let's take a look at how soup recipes, using inexpensive ingredients and simple preparation methods, can become elegant meals, worthy of serving to company.

The secrets of soup making are buried in the centuries, the seeming stepchild of culinary excellence. Perhaps it's because we equate a good meal with a big, juicy steak, or a fine roast. If you imagine that expensive ingredients are necessary to produce an excellent meal, you should think again. We are all victims of rising food costs and face the dilemma of putting tasty and nutritious food on the table. Here, we've got some solutions, in imaginative soup recipes, that will save you money and provide elegant alternatives to the expensive steak and potato menus.

If you haven't given soup much thought when planning your menus, it's likely that you think soup recipes are what you turn to when your cupboard is bare and you're waiting for payday. This mindset is a case of the glass-half-full. The great thing about soup is that, like fried rice, only minuscule amounts of this and that can be combined into a delicious, filling and nutritious meal. How many times have you gone through the frig and thrown out leftovers that, neglected, turn into science projects?

Let's look at the typical refrigerator contents. You served meatloaf a few days ago, with a side of corn. The half cup of leftover corn went into a plastic container. You diced up some onions for tacos and had a bit left over. With the best of intentions, the onions lie waiting for use. There's a piece of chicken from fried chicken night. A cup of noodles, left over from spaghetti night. Should all this food go to waste? With just these leftovers, you've got a meal. The best soup recipes are made of these forgotten foods.

When the cupboard seems bare, go through the frig and consolidate those leftovers. All you need for a meal is a broth and those leftovers. Seasonings will do the rest.

If your frig yields a lot of veggies, a chicken broth can make a hearty soup recipe. You might also consider making a roux of milk and flour, seasoned with herbs, packed with those leftover veggies, for a delicious, healthful and filling meal, full of flavor and satisfying.

Even a leftover plate of salad can contribute to your soup recipes. When it comes to soup, anything goes. Toss in that spinach and salad shrimp. Waste not, want not! Soup recipes amount to a free-for-all. Don't waste a bit of precious food! Soup recipes, created on the fly, can fill in at least one meal this week.

Uses of Software Utilities

Software utilities are used to resolve problems, make configurations and manage programs in the operating system. There are many software utilities on the market and their functionality can range from simple activities as copying simple files from external storage devices to complex ones that manage the registry, clean junk files and modify system properties. Some of the most useful utilities are the ones that automate routine troubleshooting in systems. Some of these can be used to diagnose system configuration issues, offer recommendations and do a bunch of things. Since most of these are commercially produced, they come with easy-to-use graphic user interfaces, check boxes and the like.

In most cases, when it comes to system configurations, most of the software utilities are able to offer access to registry, environmental settings and system start up options. Other utilities just provide additional capabilities to the operating system. Disk deframenters are one group of software utilities that can detect files on the hard disk that are fragmented and can thus move those fragments together to increase the overall efficiency. The purpose of any disk defragmenting software is one; to minimize head travel time and maximize transfer rate. Disk cleaners are other utilities that are used to find and remove unnecessary files that take up considerable space on the hard disk. The cleaning process involves searching and analyzing the hard drive and deletion of any files found. Some common files that are found by the disk cleaner software utilities include temporary internet files, recycle bin files, setup log files, optional windows components and files left behind from an uninstallation. This list is not exhaustive and can include a bunch of other file types.

File managers are some of the most useful software utilities out there. These provide a convenient method of deleting, cataloging, copying, merging, renaming, generating and modifying data on the hard disk. Some file managers provide network connectivity and allow a user to remotely create, rename, search, delete or otherwise alter remote files using a number of methods. There are different types of file managers. Some of these include file-list mangers, directory editors, navigational file managers and orthodox file managers. A good example of a navigational file manger is the Windows Explorer. In Mac OS X, the Finder is an example of a navigational file manger.

Other software utilities include system profilers, anti-virus utilities, cryptographic utilities, network mangers and text editors. These software applications make management and configurations easy for an average computer user.

Where is Software Development failing?

With the recession continuing to take a heavy toll on everybody and everything, the software product development teams seem to have taken some measures to cope with it. However, the question that comes up is; have these measures compromised the quality of software and in some cases, have they contributed to software product development failures all together? Human errors that are avoidable seem to have been one of the consequences of these measures.

Because most development teams do not know what to build, it fails to meet the peoples needs, the time and the resources to do research has seemed unnecessary and this has resulted in unclear requirements and the eventual failure of the software. Another measure that companies have been taking is setting up overly unrealistic schedules as well as overly optimistic ones. When a schedule seems unrealistic there is the tendency to skip things or rush through the development cycle. When projects are thus compressed, there is a high chance that some thing will be overlooked or will not be given the needed attention.

The cutting down of executive sponsorship and support has also meant that internal politics and budget cuts will undermine the overall project. This will of course result in sub-standard or poor products. Some software product development teams have also been forced to lay off senior higher paid developers. When senior developers and those with experience leave a project early in its lifetime, this will hurt both the project as well as the company. While this move to cut down on costs seems warranted, it has to be remembered that the future software product development teams of such companies will often be unstable. Senior and more experienced developers take with them a lot of experience that just is not available any other place leaving behind lower-paid workers with less experience. However, when you look at the time lost due to the learning curve and the mistakes of the less experienced developers, it probably negates the savings in the salaries paid. This is the price companies have to pay for making hasty, project-wrecking decisions in a poor economy.

Another foolhardy cutbacks being taken in the software product development projects is skipping testing. While this is an obvious path to software failures, it seems that many companies are using this recessionary cost-saving method to keep their coding teams busy. If this trend continues, it can be expected that embarrassing outages will begin to surface. If companies take note of these project pitfalls and avoid them despite the economy downturn, we can expect to see less software project failures.

Agile Methodologies in Software Development

The software development process called agile development evolved in the mid 1990s and is seen as a return to the development practice that was developed in the early beginnings of software development. Initially called lightweight methods as opposed to heavyweight methods such as the micro-managed waterfall model of development, the agile software development process includes such methodologies as adaptive software development, dynamic systems development method, crystal clear, extreme programming and feature driven development. Published in the 2001 Agile Manifesto, these agile methodologies form a family of development processes that allows software development to be more prioritized and reveal any difficulties in the development process.

The agile software development process breaks tasks into small increments with minimal planning that do not directly involve any long-term planning. Each iteration or time frame is worked on by a team of software developers for a typical period of one to four weeks. Each team is responsible for planning, design, coding, requirement analysis, unit and acceptance testing of the product. This allows for changes to be made quickly in the software and also helps to minimize the overall risk of the project. Agile development thus allows for minimal bugs in a software release after each iteration is finished.

A typical team in an agile environment is typically small, between 5 to 9 people. This makes face-to-face communication, which is the most-emphasized mode of communication, over written communication easier. Even when a team works remotely, daily contact through voice, email and videoconferencing is maintained. There is always a customer representative in any agile team to help review the progress as well as optimize return on investment. A representative also helps to answer any problem-domain questions that may arise in the development process. The emphasis placed in agile software development process is working software. This is also taken as the measure of progress, and thus agile development produces less written documentation.

When compared with other development methods, agile methods are what can be described as adaptive as opposed to predictive. What this simply means is that an agile team does not know what features are planned in the software development process for, say next month. Predictive development on the other hand, can report exactly what features will be available and the functionality of the completed product for the entire length of the development process. These methods thus make it very difficult to make changes to the original direction. Agile methods on the other hand can easily be adapted regardless of where the development process is so far. Whether agile methodologies are adapted for non-software products remains to be seen. In the meantime, this software development process exploits software characteristics to produce highly adaptive software and automated testing.

Soap Making Supplies

I recently had to quit my job because of a disability that prevents me from standing on my feet for extended periods of time. Even though I'll be able to collect Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), the monthly checks aren't going to be enough to cover my household expenses. I'll need to do something to bring in extra money, all while adhering to the SSDI guidelines regarding "substantial gainful activity". In other words, it's ok for me to make some money from a home-based business, but not too much.

After giving some thought to what I can do at home to earn cash now, I decided to make my own soaps and sell them on a friend's website. This actually used to be a hobby of mine a while ago, so I still have some soap making supplies around here. For my initial batch, I'll simply use up what I have, and then I can wait until the finished products are sold out before I order new soap making supplies. This will allow me to start selling my merchandise without having to invest in a lot of inventory beforehand.

Even though I'm not planning on buying any more soap making supplies right at this moment, I know I'll have to in the near future. I'm sure a lot of things have changed in the years since I last created my own decorative soaps. For instance, the old site where I used to buy discount soap making supplies is no longer around, so I'm going to have to find a new place to purchase all my raw materials, kits, molds, and cutters. Plus, it would probably be smart to check out a few craft message boards where other hobbyists hang out in order to learn what the latest trends and preferences are. That way I can buy the essential oils and fragrance oils that are most likely to be in demand by customers.

I have a general idea of what kind of place I want to do business with. Ideally, it should be big enough to offer wholesale soap making supplies with reasonable minimums, and should be able to ship the materials reliably. And of course I want to have a wide selection of products to choose from, including melt and pour bases, butters, and a bunch of all-natural ingredients. I would also look favorably on a website that sells other body care products in addition to soap making supplies so I can offer my shoppers these types of related items once I become a bit more established.

To tell you the truth, I am definitely worried about my financial situation now that I'm no longer able to hold a regular job outside my home. But seeing my leftover soap making supplies has given me new inspiration and hope for my future. At least I'll have some way of bringing in a small income to supplement my disability checks.